Guardian Angels

We have a guardian angel. His name is Rooster. I know, you were expecting Michael or Gabriel or something a little more angelic sounding, but God does have a sense of humor, and he sent us Rooster. Blessed with enormous God-given talents, Rooster could have single-handedly built the ark or repaired the temple, but he was sent instead to live in a small Southern town and humbly help people.


Rooster's calling is to fix things. Anything. For anyone. God sent him to help my parents, but his heart was too big to stop there, and he has taken on the entire family. He has also taken on his own children, grandchildren, in-laws, ex-laws, neighbors, and a host of children he loves as his own. He will do anything. For anyone. Not cursed with the sin of pride, Rooster will quietly fix small problems in a big way, and make big problems seem so small you forget they existed. Blessed with compassion, he searches for solutions to make life bearable for others, always puts himself last, and never complains.

God really loves Chester, because he has sent a lot of angels there. Mary Ellen Fennell was my first grade Sunday School teacher. She smelled of rose petals and was all soft hugs and sweet smiles. She would let us sit on the piano bench beside her as we sang "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, a Sunbeam, a Sunbeam, Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam. Yes! I'll be a Sunbeam for him.' As we sang, I could actually see those sunbeams break through the ceiling and bathe Mrs. Fennell in an ethereal light. She left us to go back to heaven one day, but I still see her in every sunbeam.



There is Neil Love, full of patience and encouragement. Anyone who can drive from South Carolina to Mexico with 15 teenagers in a van is not only an angel, but perhaps a saint. He got me through the first Sunday I ever played the organ for church. Terrified, I cried the whole way through the service, hands shaking so badly I could barely hit the notes. Mr. Love just sat beside me, up there in the choir loft, a steadying force, until the last note of the postlude had sounded. That Sunday morning he poured strength and courage into my young, scared soul which I still draw on to this day.



Sims Lynn is the only angel on earth who prays for my hemorrhoids. Amazing grace, she always knows when prayer is needed, and her prayers work fast!! I don't know what kind of hot line she has to God, but I want to stay on her speed dial.


Maybe you don't believe in angels, maybe you haven't ever seen one, but I believe they dwell among us. Angels are mentioned over 30 times in the Bible, and I've known too many of them to doubt their existence. God clearly told the Israelites "I am going to send an angel to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared." (Ex. 23:20) I believe what Gods says. God sent us Rooster.